


The Victor and the Spoils

by AllTheBellsInVenice



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alpha Khan, Alpha Sherlock, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, F/M, Fantasy AU, Hate Sex, Intrigue, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Mildly Dubious Consent, Omega Molly, Omega Verse, Rough Sex, Sherlolly - Freeform, Threesome - F/M/M, Toys, khanlockolly, khanolly, kharol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-07 10:14:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1895232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheBellsInVenice/pseuds/AllTheBellsInVenice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By tradition, when the Omega Empress wishes to bear an heir to the throne, Alphas come from all over the realms to fight for her heat. But when she notices an uncanny resemblance between the two Alphas who rise through the ranks to the final battle, she decides to add her own wicked twist to the rules.<br/>Fantasy AU; omegaverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was an anonymous prompt fill that erupted into a multichapter. Enjoy!

The tiled roofs of the great capitol city shimmered in the heat, their red and ochre kissed by the sultry sunset. But up here, at the top of the highest tower of the imperial palace, a breeze billowed out the sheer curtains on every side of the open room and made the tiny metal lanterns tinkle overhead. That breeze, heavy with the spicy scent of desert flowers, played softly over the naked skin of the Empress and her two lovers as they writhed on the cushioned floor. 

The Omega Empress Margaretta, Fifth of Her Name, known to her inner circle as Molly, lay back against the silken pillows and luxuriated in the mouths of the two lovely men, amusement curving her lips. Two dark heads bent over her breasts, laving her heat-swollen nipples with lips and tongue. One head of hair was charmingly curly, while the blacker hair of the other parted sleekly under her caressing fingers. Two pairs of elegant hands stroked her fevered flesh, and at her word, two saturnine faces lifted towards her, those plush mouths wet and eagerly open. 

“My lovely Alphas,” she said, her lids heavy with pleasure, “you’re both serving your Empress so well.” She gazed into each set of gemlike, blue-green eyes, and savoured the dark desire she saw in one pair, and in the other, that same desire tinged with a hint of fear.

She had them both so completely under her power. Here, at the top of the highest spire, she could enjoy two dangerous Alpha males at the same time while a host of guards lined the spiral stairs below, out of sight. And in the rafters, high above the swaying lanterns, Molly’s most trusted assassin waited. Almost invisible in the shadows but for her pale face and hair, her blue eyes watched the two Alphas below for any sign of a fight. 

Thus, despite the deep Alpha instincts that goaded them to attack any competition for an Omega in heat, neither of these Alphas would now dare to strike at the other. However, no threat would ever tame the barely leashed aggression that crackled in the air between them.

But Molly was rather enjoying that little predicament of theirs. Even now, a glance shot between the Alphas like a poison dart, and she saw the clenched fists, the bared teeth, and the struggle to calm the urge to violence. Affection surged in her at the sight. Oh, these Alpha males. They were so powerful, so lovely, and so utterly at her mercy. 

“Now, my beautiful Alphas, I saw you snap at each other just now,” Molly said sweetly, “and I really can’t have that. Not with what we’re about to do. So...I want you to kiss each other nicely. Go on,” she said, one corner of her mouth turning up, sardonic. “Obey your Empress. And don’t be shy with your hands.”

And the curly-headed one turned, gripped the other Alpha’s shoulders, and dropped his mouth onto snarling lips. The sleek-haired one convulsed in fury, once, then closed his eyes and opened to the kiss, his hands threading caressingly into the other’s luscious curls. 

Molly lay back and savored the sight. With a sigh of deep satisfaction, the Empress congratulated herself on the wonderful idea that had led her to this moment. 

***

Months before, the Empress had decided that the time was at hand to bear an heir to the Imperial throne. She remained stubbornly unmated, having found no Alpha quite to her liking among the nobles of her many kingdoms. Thus she thought it best to call a traditional trial by combat. Let the gods decide, she had decreed, who would father the next ruler of the great Empire. By those ancient laws, any male Alpha in all the realms could come to the capitol and fight for the right to lie with the Empress and father the heir, thereafter gaining a position of honor, if not much real power, in her court.

And the Alphas arrived from every corner of the Empire: the strong, the bold, the clever. Common citizen and prince alike, thousands of Alphas presented their names to her vizier in the Great Plaza. Her grand marshal sorted them into two great elimination trees, and then the fights began. There was only one rule: any Alpha who deliberately killed another would find himself dismissed.

Molly made a point of appearing every afternoon on her balcony far above the Great Plaza, to provide a little inspiration to the fighters and, perhaps, to gain a little amusement from the spectacle. Soon enough, she noticed the two very similar-looking Alphas who were winning fight after fight in their respective groups. 

One of them was light, swift, cunning. He seemed to observe his opponents’ weaknesses with a precision that belied his careless air, then used his sharp tongue to goad them into a fury. Possessed of notable stamina as well as ceaseless vigilance, he would lead each foe into exhaustion or an incautious attack, then strike like a snake. So many heavier, stronger Alphas fell to the stones at his feet that Molly found her interest stirring.

The other Alpha was forceful, brutal, striking out at his opponents with merciless power and speed. He would never wait to be attacked after the gong sounded, but would stalk inexorably forward and deliver astonishing blows as his foe reeled, thrown off balance. This handsome Alpha shook off strikes that would have broken another man, and his utter fearlessness made his fights thrilling to behold. 

But the great mystery, remarked by all who watched the trials for any length of time, was their eerie similarity. The two Alphas shared the same noble face, the same fine hands, long neck, and sea-green eyes. Even their teeth and the proportions of their bodies were alike, as well as the deep timbre of their voices. 

It was a puzzle that Molly found more and more on her mind as the trials continued and the two Alphas won every fight they began. Though they seemed similar in age, they could not be mere brothers; they were too strangely identical, nearly the same man. But they were certainly not twins, either, for their few differences were stark. It was as though each man was a dark mirror of the other, with no hint as to which was the original. 

As the trials reached their final stages, Molly took action. She called her viziers and ordered them to make enquiries, setting in motion a swift chorus of whispers that sounded throughout the realms and echoed back to her with a strange story. 

The curly-haired Alpha, it transpired, was named Sherlock; he was a scion of respectable but minor gentry in the Northwest of the Empire. He was well known in that locale for intellectual feats and incredible powers of observation, which he used to solve mysteries and capture murderers and thieves. Much to Molly’s amusement, some of his victories had been won at the expense of her own regional governments.

The sturdier, darker-haired Alpha, called Khan, had arrived from the East, the son of two alchemists of common blood. To Molly’s surprise, it seemed that Khan now served as one of the high commanders of her own Imperial Navy. Her chief minister of defense reported that he was a brilliant leader and tactician, though over-conscious of his own natural talents as compared to those higher in the chain of command.

Of the reason for the two Alphas’ great similarity, little could be gleaned, but on the streets of the capitol, rumor swirled around the alchemist parents of Khan. Now deceased, the two scientists had had a frightening reputation for experiments involving chimeric monsters and talking automatons. What was more, they had traveled throughout the empire in pursuit of their research. 

Dismissing the speculations published daily by the capitol’s broadsheet printers, each more frenzied and lurid than the last, Molly’s high minister of alchemy advised her that a human experiment of wondrous complexity might have given rise to this Khan, possibly by use of the patterns from the blood of a promising child. A fascinating prospect, if true, but neither Khan nor Sherlock had anything to say on the matter, despite close questioning by the press as well as her own ministers. 

In fact, each Alpha seemed perplexed and unsettled by the other. From her balcony, Molly had seen the two men meet, often staring silently for minutes at a time, sometimes circling each other measuringly. As both of them rose through the ranks, Molly could not help wondering which of them would prove victorious if they both won through to the final test. And if it came to that, which of them would she prefer to see take the ultimate prize? Molly couldn’t say, but in her nightly dreams, it was always both Alphas who came to her bed. Together, always together, and even touching...

So when the day arrived that they both rose to the final fight---when Sherlock handily broke the leg of a bearlike Alpha from the Northern Mountains, right after Khan stunned a graceful warrior from the Flower Isles---Molly, watching from her balcony, came to a sudden decision. She was enchanted with both Alphas, so why should she not take both to her bed? She was Empress of all the realms, terrifyingly powerful, adored by her subjects. Her word was law.

Oh yes, there would still be a fight, and a clear victor. All the traditions would be satisfied. But Molly would make a new rule for the final battle, a crucial stipulation that would be made known to very few other than the combatants and herself. A bit unorthodox, she allowed; but she answered to no judgment. She smiled inwardly to think of how those two lovely Alpha males would look at each other when she privately disclosed her wicked little catch.


	2. Chapter 2

The final battle was held at night, under the starry glare of a thousand crystal globes of alchemical fire. Half the capitol, it seemed, had crowded into the Great Plaza to witness the fight. A catastrophic roar of approval sounded from the stands as the two combatants entered the arena from opposite sides, both of them naked to the waist as befitted a trial for a female’s favor. After raising fists to the multitudes, the fighters approached their Empress where she lounged on her golden throne, her long hair unbound, her head crowned with flowers and gems. 

As the two men climbed the steps to stand before her, Molly lifted her head proudly, well knowing her own loveliness. She had timed the trials well: the slow, steady dance of the two moons signaled the approach of her fertile season, and surely the two Alphas would scent her and know in their bones that her time was very near. And with luck, their blood’s ancient call to win a mate would make the coming battle apocalyptic to behold. Molly sincerely hoped so. 

Both Alphas reached the platform and took a knee, and she saw their shoulders rise with their deep breaths, their eyes narrowing; yes, they scented her. She smiled to note their glass-green eyes sliding boldly, covetously, over her rounded form and slender limbs, before rising to the sweet, delicate face that declared her Omega. She examined them in turn, enjoying the sight of their bared bodies: one slender and elegant, the other more robust...both exactly of a height and exuding the potent musk of Alpha. 

Oh, yes. Here were two fine specimens of the highest order of Alphas, and it was time for her to claim them both, to tell them the true shape of the prize that awaited them. But she wanted to scent them clearly as she did so, the better to savor their reaction. 

Molly rose and stepped down from her throne, ignoring the chorus of gasps that sounded from all around. Letting her gossamer-white gown trail behind her, she descended the few steps and drew near the two Alphas. The excited chatter of the whole arena died away into a silence of indrawn breath. 

Into the quiet, Molly raised her voice and slowly spoke the words that all expected to hear, her sweet Omega tones ringing clearly through the brightly lit arena.

“To my beloved citizens...my faithful court...honored guests from beyond my realms...and most especially, to these two brave Alphas who battle tonight to become part of the Imperial bloodline…” She paused. 

“May it endure ten thousand years,” intoned ten thousand voices, including the two who knelt before her. A glinting eye, a determined fist...

“...I bid you all welcome!” She allowed a moment for the answering cheer from the crowd, then raised a hand for silence. 

“On this night, the gods will choose the Alpha who is worthy to give us all an heir. Alphas, I know you will fight with great courage and impeccable honor...but before you do, I require a private word, for our ears only.” And she gestured to the guards who had followed her down the steps, bidding them withdraw.

After an instant of hesitation, her guards stepped back rather reluctantly and left their Empress alone. The quiet grew once more, and tension crackled through the arena as she stepped, unconcerned, within arm’s reach of the two combatants. 

The Alphas themselves grew still and watchful, drawing great breaths as her scent washed over them both; as she well knew, it now carried a trace of sweetness that intimated the very beginnings of her heat. She took another breath of their two scents in turn, so similar and yet distinct, both signaling aggression and lust in a delicious melange. Well, she would soon complicate those simple Alpha drives. At long last, the moment was here.

“Alphas,” Molly murmured, so lowly that they had to strain to hear. “You fight for the right to bed me, to give me your seed.” A hitch in their breath at her frankness. She gave them each a lingering smile. “But you are both so brave, so beautiful, that I simply refuse to deny myself enjoyment of both of you. Thus, I am adding a little rule of my own. The gods shall have their victor,” she continued quickly as confusion and alarm kindled in two pairs of eyes. “Only the winner will give me his knot.”

She paused then, and her eyes glittered. “But the winner’s victory will not be so simple. For I am Empress, and I shall have my amusement,” she said, with a wicked grin. “Know this, Alphas, and carry the knowledge with you as you do battle this night. The winner will seat his knot in me...Oh, yes, he will. But the loser...while I watch, the loser will knot the winner.” 

At that, both Alphas jerked their heads up and gasped raggedly. Gleeful, she took a step back, the better to view the sudden expressions of dismay, their furtive glances toward one another. Oh, they were so deliciously alike, right down to the tremble in their hands as they struggled for composure. And no wonder: she’d turned the contest upside down around their ears. 

Scent was now boiling off their bodies, and Molly caught a new note of lust: a darker, acrid edge to their desire. Elated, Molly congratulated herself for seeing clearly: yes, these two Alphas were arrogant, narcissistic, already half in love with themselves...and each of them was fascinated and disturbed by the mirror image who had appeared in their world. It was as clear as diamonds to the Empress as she looked at their faces: her perverse little game dangled a dark temptation between the two Alphas, exposing hidden urges that both had felt but neither had dared to acknowledge.

Oh, what a lovely, lovely idea she’d had, she thought, her lips parting in a silent laugh.

Turning away from her Alphas and their delicious predicament, Molly ascended the steps and sat again on her throne, aglow with satisfaction. She glanced back down at them where they knelt, still awaiting her word, then raised her hands once more. Her sweet voice echoed throughout the arena. 

“May each of you fight with all the courage and honor in your heart….and may the best Alpha win.” 

At the sight of their stricken faces, she let her glimmering head tilt back in exultation. The night had just become far more interesting. 

***

The strike of the gong reverberated through the arena as the two Alphas squared off, their boots kicking up the golden dust as they paced, watchful, keeping their distance for the moment.

Molly crooked her mouth. The forthright Khan should already be closing in on his enemy in these first few seconds, gearing up to deal a crushing blow. But now, moments after her little decree, he was hesitating. Likewise, Sherlock seemed shaken, thrown off his game; Molly idly wondered how well his vaunted mind was working for him now that he was contending with such a distraction. 

But to her surprise, it was Sherlock who attacked first. Almost silently, he dashed toward Khan and closed the distance with his fist flying, aiming for Khan’s jaw. But when Khan reached to deflect, Sherlock’s foot lashed out instead, and Khan landed heavily in the dust. 

The crowd’s cheers filled the air as Khan rose, glowering; Sherlock had already withdrawn. His slender torso was beginning to shine with sweat as he moved away from Khan; surely he knew his luck would soon turn if he allowed the larger Alpha to land a blow. Molly wondered how long this fight would last, and whether Sherlock’s stamina could keep him nimble enough to avoid Khan’s heavy fists. 

But Khan was done waiting for Sherlock. Clenching both hands at his sides, he let out a roar that twisted his features, then stalked implacably forward to swing at Sherlock’s head. The lighter man dodged, but Khan braced his legs and dropped his center of gravity as his knuckles swung in from the side. Even as Sherlock twisted away, Khan’s fist caught Sherlock a glancing blow on his flank. 

A whoosh of breath from Sherlock, but he struck back so quickly that Molly gasped. An instant later, Khan was shouting, his nose pouring red blood into the arena’s dust. Not a moment’s quarter was given before Sherlock moved in again, aiming a vicious kick at Khan’s knee in a clear bid to disable him. 

The gamble paid off, and now Khan was limping. His face had gone red with fury, and his scowl only deepened when Sherlock called out to him. 

“There now,” Sherlock taunted. “Just a little knowledge of anatomy.” He paced back and forth, waving to the crowd, some of whom were now chanting his name. Molly frowned as a sudden curiosity struck her: which of them was considered the underdog in the minds of the people?

Khan bared his teeth. “Anatomy. Of course. Nothing to do with you knowing something about my left leg.”

Sherlock narrowed his eyes. “You admit it. That knee has always been your weakest area, no? The one joint that ever gave out on you.” He was pacing in wide circles around Khan, whose movement was markedly impaired. “Could it be that I share the same weakness? Or did I simply bribe your trainer for information?” 

With that, he closed in and landed a solid blow to Khan’s belly. Khan doubled over, but in the same movement he lunged at Sherlock and seized both his arms, driving his head into Sherlock’s face. There was a crack, and now Sherlock’s brow was torn, and blood was running into his eye. 

Khan did not release Sherlock, and the two Alphas grappled savagely. Their boots carved great gashes in the dirt floor as they roared and twisted, their movements almost too swift for Molly to follow. 

Finally, they broke apart. Sherlock scrambled away from Khan and staggered back to his feet, blood pouring from his face and down the hard planes of his chest. Yards away, Khan spat a mouthful of gore into the dust and wiped his chin with his arm, still limping a little and glaring at his enemy with eyes gone flinty with hate. 

“Reluctant to win, are you?” Sherlock goaded. “I think you are. I tested you. Deliberately gave you an opening, one you didn’t take. Very interesting, Khan. Of course, it could be that you were too stupid to see it. But maybe it’s otherwise. Maybe it’s just that you can’t handle victory...my lovely one.” 

Around them, the crowd murmured, confused. All except the Empress, who giggled and licked her teeth, deeply enjoying Sherlock’s taunt. 

Khan straightened to his full height and snarled back. “You could still win, Sherlock. And you’re still very pretty yourself, even covered with blood. Almost as lovely as our Empress there.” Khan gestured.

A gasp from the crowd, and many faces turned toward Molly to see how their Empress would react to this show of impudence. But Molly had thrown back her head and was laughing loud and long, the sweet sound carrying easily down to the floor of the arena where the two bloodied Alphas still circled. 

One more minute, two, and still the Alphas paced, watching each other. The crowd soon grew restless and took up chanting the names of the combatants, each faction seemingly determined to shout each other down. But their chants erupted in a great cry as the two Alphas both lunged, their bodies crashing together in the very center of the arena. 

Sensing that the final moments were at hand, Molly sat up in anticipation. After a moment of ferocious struggle, Khan had taken hold of his enemy from behind, pulling Sherlock’s arms behind his back; his immense strength was swiftly bearing the slimmer Alpha down to the ground. 

“Yield,” Khan shouted against Sherlock’s cheek; Molly leaned forward to hear. “I have you!”

“I yield,” Sherlock shouted back. “But you know well, Khan...it’s truly I who have you.” 

The gong sounded again, the crowd roared, and ten thousand fists punched the air. And as Khan released his foe, Sherlock turned to give him a toothy smile, holding his eyes until Khan gave a snarl and backed away. 

And Sherlock kept smiling as Khan climbed the steps to receive his tokens of victory, even as Molly set a crown of fragrant leaves on Khan’s head and set her lips to his blood-smeared brow. And when Molly bade Khan turn to face the crowd and gripped his arm, raising it high for all to see, it was at Sherlock that she directed her knowing gaze.


	3. Chapter 3

Washed by the pink light of predawn, the Empress lowered her jeweled telescope and regarded the broad crescent of the Omega Moon with her naked eye. This, the biggest, brightest moon, waxed and waned in rhythm with Omega heat cycles, and Omega females were forever watching it turn slowly through its phases. The Empress herself was no exception; she too observed the Omega Moon month by month, tracking the line of shadows that divided the bright area from the dark side of the great sphere. 

Every Omega girl in her Empire received a telescope when she came to womanhood; every Omega woman soon learned for herself which lunar features would appear along that line of shadows at the time of her own fertility. Any Omega would know which craters or highlands or dappled gray plains signaled her own moment of choice, either to cloister herself away or to approach a handsome Alpha and run a claiming hand along his jaw. And tonight, the jagged white peaks and black shadows of those lunar mountains she thought of as her own had slipped silently into view in her telescope. The Empress’s time had finally come; she could feel it welling in her. Tonight...yes. Tonight.

Her mouth quirked up in a smile as she looked to the east, where two of the smaller, speedier Alpha Moons were rising swiftly above the horizon. These were the Two Princes, also known as the Rival Moons, which always chased each other, perturbing each other’s orbits in unpredictable ways and racing past the huge Omega Moon as it made its stately way across the sky. The Empress laughed richly at the sight; the poetic rightness of it was too delicious. 

Since the final battle, she had kept both of the Alphas---her Alphas---locked away from each other in their assigned suites, in opposite wings of the Imperial palace. Prisoned in luxury, Khan and Sherlock had been given time to heal, to grow used to their surroundings, and finally to grow restless with anticipation, according to her spies.

One week passed, then two; and on the day of her final lunar observation, Molly decided she would take pity on the poor boys and pay them each a visit in turn. She’d enjoy letting them scent her as she was spiking into full heat. Then they could both dream and ache for a few hours before sunset, when she would, at long, long last, be alone with them both. 

As the official victor, Khan ought to have the honor of receiving her first, she supposed. So Molly appeared in his suite in the late morning, unannounced. She was pleased to find Khan soaking in the bathing pool that was sunken into the mosaiced floor of the main room, his jet-black hair striking against the white and green and gold of the opulent tile.

Most of her subjects would have scrambled up at the sight of their Empress, then bowed humbly before her, but Khan did neither of those things. Instead, he merely lifted his brooding eyes to where she stood, waiting, in the archway. Then he stepped slowly out of the glittering pool, unconcerned by his nakedness. Water streamed from his body onto the tiles as he sauntered proudly up to her, taking great breaths of her sweet scent. 

He stalked so very near to his Empress that Molly’s bodyguard stirred at her side, but she waved the woman back and stepped up to meet him, lifting her face and capturing his mouth in a sensual kiss. Her heat burned in her belly as she drowned in that rich, dark scent of Alpha.

“My victorious one,” she purred against his cheek, letting her hands slip down the cool, wet skin of his shoulders and arms, across his belly, and up his heaving chest, savoring the strength and beauty of this Alpha who was hers to enjoy. “And how have you been faring? Are you well healed from the battle?” 

“Yes, completely healed, your imperial majesty. I’ve had little else to do here.” Unsmiling, Khan gazed at her face and boldly down her body. Those insolent eyes lingered over her breasts, barely concealed by her sheer gown. His hands clenched slowly at his sides; would he dare to touch her unbidden?

Dismissing the thought, Molly laughed at his glowering face, then ran a thumb over those plush lips of his. 

“I did give you one little assignment, of course. How has that been coming along?” Her other hand slipped down his back to cradle one firm buttock.

Khan’s jaw twitched, and he turned his face slightly away, but another voice answered for him. 

“It’s been going beautifully, your imperial majesty,” said his assigned Beta healer, crossing the room and bowing her red head respectfully. “Rather better than I was expecting. He’s a passionate one, Empress.” The healer beamed at Molly, her gray eyes sparkling with mirth. 

“That’s lovely news, Sarah,” said Molly warmly. Of course her spies had told her all, but she wanted to savor Khan’s reaction to his healer’s report. “Tell me more, darling.”

“Gladly, Empress. We’ve been spending time on the pillows every morning and evening. I’ll lie behind him, stroking and slicking, and it doesn’t take him long to open for my fingers...and soon enough, for the toys.” Sarah’s smile broadened. “Of course, I visited Sherlock first along with a courtesan, to be sure of the size we needed.”

“Kind of you. And how does Khan respond to your tender attentions, my dear?” Molly asked coyly, already knowing the answer and exulting in it. 

Sarah’s laugh tinkled. “Of course he’d prefer to remain stoic, but it’s rather difficult for a man to hide the way he’s feeling, isn’t it, Empress?” 

At her side, Khan’s mouth was set in anger, but he had dropped his eyes. Molly was delighted to notice a hot blush spreading over his face, even as it became clear that his body was growing painfully aroused.

“Then he has been making use of the courtesans I’ve sent him?” she asked Sarah, reaching up to run her hand through all that sleek, black hair. 

“Oh, yes, Empress. I’m proud to report that our Khan is more than eager to please a maiden while I’m moving a nice, big toy inside him. Oh, how he makes them squeal!” The healer laughed. “And just look at him...such a big boy. You’ll have a lovely time with him, your imperial majesty. I must congratulate you.” 

“It’s I who should congratulate you, Sarah. I’ll reward you well for this,” Molly told the healer, giving her a wide smile. “Plan to prepare him for me later. Tonight is the night.”

Khan’s breath hissed beside her, and suddenly he pulled Molly’s body against his. There was a shout, and dimly, Molly saw that with his other hand he had shoved her bodyguard roughly back against the tiled wall. Molly held up both her hands to quell further intervention. She was confident he wouldn’t hurt her, a ripe Omega; she wanted to observe what he might do next.

“Finally,” Khan growled in her ear. One big hand settled on her breast, pinched at a heat-swollen nipple. Molly gasped in spite of herself as arousal blazed through her.

“You smell delicious, my imperial majesty.” Khan’s voice caressed her, and those hands traveled freely down her body. “I can’t wait to give you my knot. To fill you up with my seed…”

“And I look forward to taking every inch of that big cock into my belly,” Molly crooned, letting her hand slip up his graceful neck. “Later,” she said in a louder tone, and pressed firmly against his throat, pushing him away from her. Molly’s bodyguard moved in to press Khan back from her Empress, none too gently. 

Molly adjusted her gown, watching the Alpha where he panted, staring, from a few feet away. She’d quite enjoyed Khan’s little outburst, but found his boldness with her imperial person rather disturbing, intended lover or not. And she hadn’t missed the slight change in the title by which he addressed her. Clearly she’d need to watch this one, she thought with some amusement.

Molly gave Khan a final smile, then turned back to Sarah. “Have him ready at sunset,” she directed, and at the healer’s curtsey and murmured assent, she walked out of Khan’s suite, trailing her gown and her bodyguard behind her. 

***

In the time it took the Empress to walk to Sherlock’s own suite on the other side of the Imperial Palace, Khan’s wet handprints on her sheer gown had evaporated in the heat of the day, but nothing short of a bath and a change of clothes would remove his scent. Khan had almost certainly left it deliberately, reasoning that she’d go to Sherlock next. Likely he intended her to carry his hostile message to the other Alpha, throwing in Sherlock’s face his own, higher claim on her body. Incredibly insolent if true, but Molly walked on, unconcerned with such pettiness. 

Sherlock’s reaction was also none of her worry. He well knew how things stood between the three of them, what her terms were. Surely he’d not wish to make himself ridiculous by showing anger in response to Khan’s scent on her. 

And Molly laughed inwardly at the emptiness of Khan’s silent challenge. For despite purposely leaving his scent on her body, Khan would still be submitting his arse to Sherlock while Molly enjoyed the look on his pretty face. Khan would have been wiser not to antagonize Sherlock. 

As with Khan, she entered Sherlock’s suite unannounced, pushing open the great wooden door herself and slipping inside. This part of the castle was older, paneled in ancient dark wood that tended to muffle sounds; indistinct male voices met her ears, rising and falling urgently. She motioned to her bodyguard to hang back a moment, then stole silently to the carven archway of the small library room. Here was Sherlock, deep in conversation with a rather unlikely personage: the chief constable of the City Watch, if she was not mistaken. 

The constable saw her first. “Empress,” he exclaimed, shoving his chair back and falling heavily to one knee. “We didn’t expect…” He swallowed, then bent his gray head. “Your highness.”

“Imperial majesty,” Sherlock corrected, rising gracefully and turning to sweep her a bow. “Highness is for the heirs.” He looked up at her meaningfully, his eyes darting over her face and body in a way that seemed less prurient than it ought to be. His scent, though, was unmistakable. Sudden excitement, arousal. The sour tang of aggressive jealousy...

No, that last scent was coming from the other man. The Empress stepped back from the door; the constable was also an Alpha, it seemed. And she was nearly in full heat…

She was about to call for her bodyguard to handle the situation, but Sherlock had already gripped the man by the shoulders and was forcefully ushering him past her and toward the outer door. 

“So then, I can assure you that the stable hand is blameless. The lord’s son is your murderer; his presence at the masked ball proves it. Check his armoire for the evidence. Now, constable.” He propelled the other Alpha toward the door. “I’ll send you a messenger this afternoon. Now go, yes, thank you, now please.”

“Th-thanks, Sherlock...Your imperial...empress.” The constable sketched a sort of salute in her direction; Sherlock shoved the man out the door and closed it, then leaned his body back on the wood to regard his Empress soberly.

Molly shivered a little. That had been rather close. To hide her dismay, she turned away from his gaze and said, “I see you’ve been making yourself useful, Sherlock. And you have the messengers on your side, it seems,” she continued, gesturing at a messy pile of scrolls that was rather overflowing the wooden desk shoved against the dark wooden columns of the dias.

“You’re lonely,” he said softly from the door, hands in his pockets.

“Sorry, what?” Molly turned her head toward him in surprise. 

“No, I meant to say, you’re lovely. You look enchanting, Empress Margaretta.” His blue eyes glittered, and gorgeous Alpha scent was pouring from his body, no doubt helped along by his having left the neck of his tunic unlaced.

“Ah. Well, thank you, Sherlock. You’re looking well, yourself.” Molly drew herself up, once more on firm ground; she was well used to flattery from attractive men. “Your black eye has almost gone.” 

A corner of his mouth quirked. “Yes, though I do have a tooth that’s rather the worse for the wear. I take it you will be requiring my services tonight.” 

“Yes, I will,” Molly said, covering her surprise by lifting her chin. She’d heard of his vaunted skills of observation, but she’d not let him discomfit her. She was the Empress. “Are you ready to carry out my wishes?”

“Oh, yes, Empress. Though I can’t help but wish I had been the victor,” he said, his face a cipher. 

“Do you?” Molly asked, tilting her chin. “Do you really?”

“Yes. I’ve enjoyed living here in the capitol for these weeks. Even confined to my suite I’ve found much to do. Murders every day in this great city, you know, and any number of plots and intrigues all going at once. It’s immensely thrilling,” he told her with genuine relish. 

“By the way, Empress, your foreign minister is plotting to introduce an agent from the Archipelago Confederacy into your court, possibly to protect his own interests in the sea tariffs, more likely to put pressure on the rest of your cabinet to shore up the navy. More profits for him there.” Sherlock drew a breath. “Also your head cook is having trouble with his charcoal supplier, and the courtesan who visits me pilfers books on alchemy and ought to be sent to the Academy for proper training.”

“I see,” Molly said, rather dazed. This was the oddest conversation she’d had in a good while. Still, if what he said were true…

“Let’s talk more about this later, Sherlock,” she said firmly. “It may be that we can find you a more permanent place here.”

“I will be pleased to serve you,” Sherlock replied in those smooth, deep tones, “if such an arrangement should prove desirable to your imperial majesty.” 

His scent was growing intoxicating. She wished he’d move away from the door. 

As if reading her mind, Sherlock pushed off the great slab of carved wood and started to pace. Molly turned toward him rather shyly; before she left, she wanted to kiss him as she had Khan, to whet his appetite for later, but he kept pacing, pacing. 

All at once, he stopped, and slowly drew near until he was towering over her head. He lowered his face toward her. Molly froze, waiting.

“You smell like him,” he said, his mouth inches away. Then he settled his hands on her shoulders and took her mouth, letting out a long, low growl as his lips and tongue explored her own. A hint of a keening whine escaped Molly’s throat before she controlled herself.

Sherlock broke the kiss but did not draw away; he slanted his face against hers and hummed. “You both taste delicious.”

Lust was surging in Molly as, for the second time in as many hours, she contended with the claiming touch of an Alpha. She knew it was time to withdraw, but oh, she could quickly get used to the fiery magic that sparked between her and these lovely, powerful men. 

“The Omega Empress,” Sherlock was murmuring in her ear. “I’d heard tales of the beauty of the Moon Throne, but I’ll never forget the first night we came face to face…”

“Yes, the night that you lost the final battle, Sherlock,” Molly reminded him, pushing him away gently. She could sense now that she was being manipulated, and until she could discern his motive, she’d keep him at arm’s length. Figuratively. “Do not presume to woo me, Sherlock. You know what your role will be tonight.”

“All too well, Empress.” He bent his curly head, but Molly didn’t miss his sardonic grin. 

“I will send for you at sundown. I know that you will be ready to fulfil my every wish, as a precondition for any future you may have at the Imperial Palace,” Molly told him firmly. “The gods have their victor, and you are not him. Remember that, Sherlock.”

“I sincerely look forward to it, Empress.” His gaze and his scent followed her as she went to the door, her bodyguard silent as a shadow behind her. 

Once out in the corridor, Molly shook herself. Oh, these two prizes of hers. One was a silent, seething mass of insolence and barely leashed aggression; the other, a conundrum of all-too-clever observations and unsettling energy. And both were Alphas to the marrow of their bones: forceful, charismatic, deliciously male, crackling with desire for her.

Oh, such heady thoughts...her arousal was making her legs wobble a bit on the polished floor as she made her way out to the wing’s main hall. Suddenly, Molly felt grateful for her host of Omega guards, some of whom walked well ahead of her to clear any and all Alphas from her path, and the rest guarding their Empress against approach from behind. Glancing over her shoulder, Molly spied a few Alphas beyond the line of her rear guard, keeping well back but still plainly fascinated by the faraway glimpse of her. She recognized a few of them by sight as minor officials or functionaries, nobody who could ever hope to touch the Omega Empress herself; but clearly, the scent of heat she was leaving in her wake was beginning to cause a stir. Time to withdraw, then, before something undignified could occur. 

She turned then toward her own apartments, to the cool, breeze-blown rooms at the top of the Imperial Palace that were her sanctuary from the business of the Empire. As was her custom, she would withdraw there for the remainder of her heat, leaving the daily workings of the government to her most trusted officials. Any matters which absolutely required her attention would be sent up to her by messenger, but she hoped there would be none of that nonsense this time. 

Interruption had been tiresome enough during her previous heats, when she had closeted herself with a choice selection of handsome, though infertile, Beta males. But this time she had real Alphas, and she intended to enjoy her two beautiful prizes to the fullest and come away with her heir in her belly. 

And no one, Molly thought with a proud smile, could claim that she was not acting just as an Empress should act to preserve the honor of the Moon Throne and the glory of her beloved Empire.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was kissing the distant spires on the city’s horizon when Molly emerged from her pool chambers, freshly bathed in pure water, with only a little chain of gems like dewdrops running through her heavy crown of braids. No rare oils, no rich blooms would obscure her own natural scent this evening, and she had given orders that the two Alphas should be likewise simply prepared for her. 

For the moment, she’d slipped on a silken robe, which she would wear up the spiral staircase to the top of the highest tower. The weather witches had assured her that the nights would continue to be warm, and the days sultry, so once she shed the robe, she’d likely remain unclothed for the rest of her heat. All the better.

Her government was in the hands of the ministers. Her guards were in place. Her trusted assassin had already positioned herself in the rafters at the top of the tower. All day, servants had been carrying lanterns, clean cloths, and pillows up the stairs, and stewards were at the ready to bear up pitchers of well water and platters of light, sustaining foods for herself and her lovers. Everything was prepared for the days of their retreat. 

Molly’s heat glowed molten in her body, quickening her blood to effervescence. Her mirror reflected back a rosy blush and sparkling eyes, and when she let herself think of the two Alphas who waited upon her word, a warm tingle spread over her skin. 

But she was the Empress, the Moon Throne, trained from birth to walk always in dignity. She had little trouble retaining the appearance of calm and control before her staff, and cordially greeted the courtesan who bowed before Molly now, the sun dancing on sleek golden hair. 

“Thank you for coming this evening, Carol,” Molly said. “Do you have all you need to ensure Khan’s readiness?” 

“Yes, Empress.” The lovely courtesan beamed at Molly and lifted a damask-covered box and a porcelain jar. “I’ve very much enjoyed assisting Healer Sarah with his preparation, and I’ll be pleased to see him through the final trial.” More than pleased, Molly noted with amusement, if the glint in Carol’s eye was any omen. 

“You’ve more than earned that right, my dear,” Molly told the Omega. Carol happened to be well outside her own heat, so her safe timing as well as her skill and experience made her an excellent choice to serve as Molly’s aide. “Ascend the tower and wait for us at the top,” Molly continued. “The Alphas will be arriving shortly.”

And as Carol disappeared through the golden archway to climb the stairs, Molly heard a stir in the outer room of her chambers. A thrill passed through her to hear deep voices answering her guards’ challenge. She waited in her seat, her chin lifted, her calm demeanor belying the frenzy of excitement that coursed through her body. 

In a moment, her two Alphas emerged through the curtained archway under guard, standing side by side for the first time since she had greeted them before the battle. She was struck again by their eerie likeness; had the one truly come from the other? No one could say, and Molly did not care. They were beautiful, and strong, and wholly hers. 

Arousal pooled in her belly as their scents wafted: salt-musky and purely male. With, oh, a hot edge of aggression that sharpened as they scented her.

Two sets of feral eyes were locked on her face as the Alphas knelt to greet their Empress. Their bodies were held stiffly, set to spring at each other at the least provocation. Molly was glad of the guards that stood behind the two Alphas; she had no intention of enduring a tiresome scuffle when there were much lovelier things to be doing. 

“Khan. Sherlock,” Molly said, her heartbeat accelerating rapidly in the awareness of the moment. “Are each of you prepared to act exactly as I wish, remembering the consequences if you do not?”

“Yes, Empress,” they answered back with the same voice: Sherlock in his clipped manner, Khan in his own deliberate tones. Molly grinned in spite of herself. 

“Then let us ascend,” Molly said, and rose from her seat. She stepped through the archway to the landing, where an open sedan chair awaited her. Sitting in the balanced, tilting seat, she gestured them forward. “You’ll both carry me up. One on my left side, the other on my right.”

The men seemed to understand the reason for this, and the scent of aggression dissipated infinitesimally. They lifted her, and as Molly rode comfortably all the way to the top of the highest tower, she silently congratulated herself on this little solution: they’d be forced to work together to carry her safely to the top, and neither would walk before the other. Rival Alphas could be so incredibly sensitive about such tiny marks of an Omega’s favor or disfavor, and she had no use for their conflict now.

The last glimmer of the sun had just disappeared in the west when they emerged out onto the top of the tower, into the soft breeze of the heights. The round room was entirely open to the horizon, with a ledge some way below to forestall a fall; a dozen stone columns held up the spire that soared high above their heads. An alchemist was lighting the hanging lanterns, muttering a word before each sparked to life. And beside the warm brazier that glowed in the sunken center of the room, Carol knelt on the soft floor with her box and jar beside her. She smiled sweetly at Khan, who glowered steadily back as he set down Molly’s sedan chair. 

A final, nearly silent flurry of activity arose as Molly alighted; the alchemist retreated down the stairs, servants removed the sedan chair, and her Omega guards took up their positions on the stairs, just out of sight of the sunken area. Molly glanced up to where her assassin waited with her sleep darts, and nodded at the blonde woman’s salute. Finally, finally, all was in readiness. 

She stepped down into the center, in among the columns where the floor was soft. As she walked, she loosened her silken robes and let the weight of the train drag the garment off her shoulders, leaving it behind her on the floor. Naked, Molly looked over her shoulder at the two men, who seemed frozen where they stood, their eyes watching her hungrily. 

“Come here, beautiful boys,” she said, sinking to her knees, then lying back on the pillows. She reached out to them with both hands. “Come lie with your Empress and kiss her breasts.” 

And both Alphas shed their light robes and stepped quickly forward to cast themselves down, one on each side of her, and Molly lifted her voice in a keening cry to feel those two plush mouths closing over her heat-swollen nipples. 

***

Moments later, Molly sighed with pleasure to see the two Alphas kissing each other deeply, greedily, lips and tongues and teeth clashing as they knelt above her. As Molly watched, Khan’s hands flexed in Sherlock’s curls, tugging at his scalp; Sherlock moaned and scratched a thumbnail over one of Khan’s dusky little nipples. Khan snarled into Sherlock’s mouth. 

“So lovely, my darlings,” Molly called softly, and the Alphas broke their kiss; Molly thrilled to see Sherlock’s hand stroking down Khan’s flank as they turned as one to look at her. 

Their cocks, their two heavy cocks were swelling down between their legs, almost touching; Molly squirmed with want, suddenly regretting that she would be penetrated by Khan only. But it would never do to go back on her word. There was a time for all things, she reminded herself. And come to think of that...

“Khan,” she said, looking the darker Alpha in the eyes. “I will give you a choice. Will you take Sherlock first, or would you prefer to attend to me at once?”

His face darkened as he glanced at Sherlock, who waited impassively. For a long moment, Khan did not answer. Molly tightened her lips. 

“It’s not too late to forfeit the battle, Khan,” she told him loftily. “You are free to leave this tower, abandon your victory...and all that comes with it. The choice, as ever, is yours.”

“Never,” he retorted immediately with a curl of his lip. “Empress, I have been aching for you for these many weeks. I’ll take the right of my prize, and I’ll take it now.” He pushed Sherlock away and dropped to his hands, crawling forward until he was hovering over her body. “Have you ever had an Alpha before?” 

“I...no,” Molly whispered, suddenly overwhelmed by his body, so huge over hers, and the overpowering wash of his scent, sweetly mingled now with that of the other Alpha.

Confusedly, she looked over his shoulder at Sherlock, whose face had contorted into a grimace; but even as she watched, the other Alpha schooled his expression with visible effort and turned stiffly away to look out over the city far below. Molly felt a fleeting respect for Sherlock’s self-mastery, but in the next instant, Khan had firmly grasped her jaw and turned her face towards his, glaring at her with narrowed eyes. 

“Don’t look at him. You’re mine,” Khan told her. He dropped down, and suddenly his mouth was everywhere, biting at her breasts, sliding down her belly. He pulled her legs open roughly and swiped his tongue against her pussy, and Molly let out a helpless cry as he slipped one finger up inside her with agonizing slowness. 

“So you’ve fucked dozens of Betas, but you’ve never taken a knot,” Khan laughed, his deep voice vibrating delightfully against her cunt. Molly gripped him by the hair, lifting her hips into his mouth, desperate. But Khan reached up to catch both her wrists, prisoning them at her sides. 

“That’s the way of it,” Molly said, her voice gone meek, her breath stolen by the pure sensation of that wicked, lashing tongue.

“What a wonder,” Khan growled as he slid his chest up her belly. “Just think. The Omega Empress, the Moon Throne herself. Mine by right, and ripe for my knot.” He scraped his teeth against her neck.

“You don’t dare bite me, Khan,” Molly gasped, struggling halfheartedly to free her wrists. “No Bonding. You know the rules of our pact. My assassin…”

“Don’t fear, Empress,” he purred. “I remember well. And you should be more worried about other things.” He reached down, and Molly felt the head of that big cock parting her folds, pushing hard at her entrance; she yelped in sudden dismay. 

“Relax,” Khan muttered, his hand at her cheek. “Open for me.”

And Molly gave a great sigh, trying to release her tension as that cock pierced her, opened her, seated itself deeply in her belly with a crushing pressure that made Molly squeal with pleasure-pain. 

A sweet voice met her ears, and Molly opened her eyes to see Carol a few feet away, leaning on her hand and tilting her head to look at Molly. 

“Breathe, Empress,” Carol was telling her. “Give her a moment, Khan,” she directed, her friendly smile dimming a little as she looked at the Alpha. “Try to be more gentle.”

“I’m not a gentle man, as you know well, Carol,” Khan said darkly, but he held himself still inside Molly for a moment, his breath hot against her neck. 

What was Sherlock doing? Molly couldn’t see him, but then she noticed Carol beckoning. The other Alpha stepped into view, sinking to his knees alongside the courtesan. As Carol pulled him down to cradle him, Sherlock turned his face away from Molly and Khan and buried it between her breasts. As Molly watched, Carol drew her light garment aside to reveal one soft nipple, and Sherlock caught it into his mouth with a low groan, almost of relief. 

But Molly could not stop to ponder that oddly arousing image, because Khan’s big hand was once more turning her face back toward his own. He lunged down to claim her mouth; that cock moved in her, pressing hard into a deep ache she’d been carrying for days. She forget everything else. 

“Are you not pleased, Empress?” Khan said, his lips drawing back over his teeth as he fucked her mercilessly. “Am I not giving good service?” He reached down to grip her buttocks, holding her steady to grind himself between her legs. 

“So...so full,” Molly cried. She twined her arms about his neck, fleetingly thinking of the many Beta males who’d treated her body with such worshipful reverence. She’d had to coax them to ride her hard enough to soothe her heat, and they’d always been amazed at her passion. But Khan was something else entirely. Instead of always calling for more, more, Molly found herself swept away by a riptide of inexorable force. Pointless to struggle against such power, so Molly merely held on, and moaned. 

Khan was pitiless with her clit, twisting against her at the completion of every thrust in a way that was unmistakably expert. “Come on, my Empress,” he was taunting. “Let me feel your little cunt pulse. You’re close, so close. Just give up, give in to me…”

“No, I…” Molly turned her head away. I am the Empress, she thought dazedly. I take orders from no one…

And for a third time, Khan pulled her face back to his. “Look at me,” he ordered. “You’ll come when your Alpha tells you. Do it now!” He roared the words into her face, and the shock that his shout spiked through her body tipped her, struggling, over the edge. She wailed, helpless against the pleasure, and Khan’s cruel laughter followed her down. 

“My turn now,” he said into her ear, and Molly whimpered as his thrusts grew deeper in her aching belly; could she endure days of this? “Good service from a prize stud,” he whispered into her ear, so crude, so insolent. His knot was swelling unstoppably, she could feel it pushing at her, and oh, now that she felt it, how she longed for it to fill her. 

Molly tightened her grip on his shoulders. “Yes, Khan,” she whispered back. “You’ve taken your victory, so give me what I want. Give me my heir. And hurry,” she snapped, her voice suddenly rising into a snarl. “I dearly long to watch you being treated just as you’re treating me…”

And Khan shouted with fury, then pushed his knot inside her, his face twisting as he poured his seed into her womb. Molly laughed in exultation and ecstasy as that knot seated itself, the stretch so sweet and the knowledge so satisfying that she’d have her child, a strong child from this Alpha’s body. It was done. 

She held Khan with arms and legs, enjoying his weight over her as he lay gasping. She turned her head, smiling, and saw Carol smiling back, one hand in Sherlock’s curls. His head lay on Carol’s shoulder, his face still hidden against her body; he was visibly relaxing now that Molly and Khan’s first mating was nearly complete. 

Carol’s eyes met Molly’s, and the two Omegas shared a silent thought: oh, these Alphas and their competitive anguish. But Sherlock seemed quiescent, and Molly saw that Carol had been soothing him with a soft hand on his cock. 

Molly had a sudden idea, the thought exciting her once more even as her heartbeat slowed. She widened her eyes at Carol and glanced meaningfully at the box that stood ready, and Carol grinned back, her eyes dancing. 

The courtesan dropped a low word in Sherlock’s ear, and the other Alpha raised his head, his face flushed and creased from lying so long against Carol’s warmth. He sat back on his heels and watched Carol as she opened the box, his eyes lighting up with dark mischief as the other Omega took out three beautiful toys. 

The Empress’s flameworkers had been given a set of precise dimensions, and as usual, they had acquitted themselves admirably. Three sleek, shiny lengths of glass, the smallest the size of an Alpha’s finger, and the largest proportioned to rival an Alpha’s hard cock, were laid out on a clean silk cloth, and were soon joined by the wide-mouthed jar of fine porcelain. Carol opened to pot to reveal a thick, white cream that smelled faintly of roses. 

Khan heard the little tinkle of the lid and turned his head to see, then knitted his brow and lowered his face once more into Molly’s body. He let out an almost inaudible growl, but his cock twitched in Molly; he could not hide from her. 

“Khan, your Empress commands,” Carol told him, her voice mild. She knelt close to their bodies and drew on a glove of the thinnest, softest leather, then scooped up a generous dollop of the cream. “She thinks it best that we start now, and I must say I agree. Pull up one leg for me, darling. Just as before.”

Khan turned down his mouth, but he obeyed Carol, shifting his leg while cradling Molly’s bottom close to him, safeguarding their tight connection. No sooner had he lowered his weight back down than Carol reached behind him, and Molly felt a quiver run through Khan’s frame as Carol’s finger breached his body. 

“There, now, my lovely one,” Carol crooned. Molly could see her arm moving slowly back and forth; her other hand reaching to stroke Khan’s hair. He was taking heavy breaths, those full lips parting in a gasp as Molly watched, delighted. 

Carol reached beside her for the smallest of the glass rods. First coating its smooth length with cream, Carol stroked the toy down into the cleft of Khan’s buttocks, then slowly leaned forward. Khan groaned helplessly, and his cock pulsed and spilled in Molly, her own body sweetly responding.

“Good, that feels good, doesn’t it. You’re doing so well.” Carol whispered in Khan’s ear as she continued to move the toy. “You’ll be ready for the second one in just a moment.” Wrung out by his second climax, Khan hung his head and made no reply.

Soon enough, Carol was sliding the middle-sized glass toy inside Khan, and this time she tore a whimper out of Khan’s throat. Molly blinked in wonder to hear that sound from the Alpha, usually so impassive and tightly controlled. Tenderly, she cradled his face in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss, and he responded with a passion that astonished Molly, crushing his mouth down against hers. 

Carol’s voice drifted down. “Are you ready for the last one, beautiful man?” she asked. 

“Yes. Yes.” Khan’s voice was a hoarse grating next to Molly’s face, and Carol turned away to coat the biggest toy with cream. She did not hear, but Molly did, when Khan whispered, “Please.” His knot had never diminished inside her.

But when Carol drew near once more and touched him, he flinched. 

“Oh, darling,” Carol said, setting down the toy for a moment and leaning far over to rub her cheek against his. “Don’t fear. We’ve been here before, you and I. And you’re making your Empress so happy, Khan. Just look at her.”

Khan opened his eyes to look down at Molly’s dreamy smile, but closed them again with a sigh after Carol reached her gloved hand back, slipping her gentle fingers inside him once more. 

“So open,” Carol said. “Come now, Khan. I know you can take this final one.” She reached for the toy once more, positioned it, and drove it slowly forward. Khan gritted his teeth, and his breath hissed out slowly. 

Carol worked him carefully for a few moments, relaxing him, finally seating the toy in his body. “Look at you, Khan. You’ve done so well. I’m so very proud of you,” she said kindly. “Now, these glass toys are quite cold, aren’t they? Soothing to the body.” She moved the biggest one back and forth, a little more roughly than before. “But Sherlock will be warm and alive. You know it will be much harder to remain...calm...while he’s breaching you.”

“I know,” Khan whispered raggedly. “I know what will happen. The cold has been holding it back, but…” He swallowed. “Let’s just get it over with.”

“Very well,” Carol said. “Empress, would you please hold this for a moment?” And Carol guided Molly’s hand to the toy. Wonderingly, Molly felt the size of the base with her fingertips as she held it inside Khan’s body. Beside them, Carol was turning to Sherlock, who had watched it all happen with a rather tactful silence. 

With her ungloved hand, Carol grasped Sherlock’s cock and stroked it firmly, wrenching a groan from him. She slicked him well with the cream, then directed him to kneel behind Khan as she used her gloved fingers to scoop up another big dollop. 

Molly let go of the toy as she felt Carol’s fingers drawing it out and away. Moving quickly, Carol smoothed the cream into Khan’s opening, then guided Sherlock in. “Be gentle with him, Sherlock,” Carol said quietly, drawing her glove off and sitting back on the cushions. 

“Oh, I will,” Sherlock said, his voice dark with arousal. “I have no wish to break my new toy.” And Sherlock leaned over Khan’s straining back, set a lingering kiss on the soft skin behind his ear, and slowly, slowly drove his length deeply inside Khan’s body. 

Molly felt Sherlock’s weight as he settled into the other Alpha; Khan’s cock was as hard as ever, his knot still seated in her pussy, and Molly gasped as the pressure of Sherlock’s body pushed Khan even farther inside her. She saw the two Alphas’ faces side by side, so close to her own; Sherlock was watching her under eyelids grown heavy with pleasure, while Khan’s face was set, his mouth trembling. 

After a tense moment, Sherlock took the lead. He stayed deep inside Khan’s arse, pulling out only a little before pressing back to the hilt. 

“Khan,” Sherlock whispered next to his ear. “Do you feel this? Do you feel me inside you? I’m fucking you, Khan,” he taunted, speeding up his thrusts. “How does it make you feel to be fucked by me?”

Khan didn’t answer, but he was growing more and more agitated. His lips twitched and pulled back in a snarl, all his muscles tensing and shaking with strain. He twisted, seeming to lose control of himself, and Molly gasped in alarm, thinking she’d need to call for her assassin to sedate Khan if he turned to strike at Sherlock. 

However, instead of attacking, Khan came hard inside Molly, driving deeply with a shout, his knot pulsing sweetly in her. Molly helplessly shivered into another orgasm, her lips opening in a cry that was soon muffled when Sherlock leaned down to capture her mouth with his own. And Sherlock never paused in his thrusts. 

Sherlock broke away from Molly’s mouth, leaving her gasping. “That’s right,” he purred, stroking his fingertips across Khan’s open lips, reaching past his teeth to touch his tongue. “That’s right…” 

And Sherlock drew those fingers out of Khan’s mouth and sucked them into his own, and Molly’s eyes widened as she realized what Sherlock was doing. He hadn’t had a chance to taste Molly’s pussy, so he was gathering traces of her fluids into his own mouth to ensure he’d be able to muster a nice, large knot for Khan. Her scent alone would likely have been sufficient, but Sherlock was taking no chances, and now he’d made it a certainty. His eyes glinted at her.

And Molly smiled knowingly back. In Sherlock’s sardonic expression she read a promise: Sherlock would give this brute he was riding a taste of his own medicine, tenderly avenging his Empress by inflicting the same savage pleasure on Khan. And judging by the moans that his thrusts were ripping from Khan’s throat, Sherlock was already succeeding. She rather appreciated Sherlock’s sense of justice. 

Giving Khan no quarter, Sherlock thrust harder, snapping his hips quickly against Khan’s firm buttocks. “You feel wonderful, Khan,” he whispered. “Your arse is so different to a pussy. So silky...and so very slick.” Sherlock’s fingers wandered, gliding down sweat-slicked skin to pinch both Khan’s nipples cruelly. 

In response, he gave a sharp cry, and in Khan’s moment of distraction, Sherlock grasped both his wrists and twisted them up behind his back, rearing his weight backward so that Khan was pulled part way off of Molly, his back arching. Khan had no leverage to thrust, but Sherlock was fucking him so hard now that Molly felt every sweet push as Khan’s hard cock moved in her pussy; she sighed with pleasure at the thought that Sherlock was fucking them both. 

“I’m going to knot you, Khan,” Sherlock said, his voice shaking. “And you’re going to take it. I can feel you tensing; you’re about to come. Don’t you dare come until I do.” Sherlock’s arms jerked around Khan’s. “One more moment. Khan, your arse, you feel so delicious, so exquisitely tight. I wonder if my arse would feel just as incredible…” 

Khan was sobbing. “Sherlock, please,” he begged. “I need to come, I need…”

“Almost there. Hold on,” Sherlock said, then in the next moment, opened his teeth against Khan’s neck. Incredibly, Khan bent his head to give him room to bite, and it was that breathtaking sight, even more than Khan’s great, shuddering cry as Sherlock punched his knot sharply into him, even more than the sweet pulsing of Khan’s own knot, that set Molly spinning into an orgasm that was devastating, stunning, almost painful. 

But Sherlock did not break Khan’s skin, and a part of Molly was relieved, beyond her delirium; she had no idea what would have happened if Sherlock had tasted Khan’s blood. 

Sherlock was releasing Khan’s arms, and Khan was beginning to sink down onto Molly again, but she pressed her little hands against Khan’s chest and Sherlock’s shoulder. “No, please,” Molly begged, for the moment no longer the Empress but just a slight woman who was suddenly shaking with exhaustion. Khan’s knot was finally shrinking, and she could wriggle free, if only…

Sherlock and Khan both seemed to understand. Moving as one, they lifted their hips away, and Molly slowly crawled backward until she was was free of them. Suddenly, Carol was there; she pulled Molly close and rocked her, her strong hand rubbing firmly into the aching spot in Molly’s lower back. 

“Hush now, Empress,” she breathed, setting her cheek down onto Molly’s crown of braids. “Just rest against me for now...I have you. Look there,” she continued, nodding toward the two Alphas. “Isn’t that a beautiful sight?”

And Molly raised her weary eyes to look at Sherlock and Khan, still locked together. Khan was propped on his elbows, his shoulders hunched, his hair tumbling down over his forehead. Sherlock’s hips were locked into Khan’s, giving him little thrusts, and as the women watched, Sherlock took Khan’s jaw in his hand, just as Khan had done with Molly, and pulled his mouth toward him for a deep kiss. 

“Yes, a very beautiful sight,” said Molly, drowsing against Carol, watching the men move under the creamy light of the alchemical lanterns.


	5. Chapter 5

Molly sat quietly upright and rested her hands in her lap, looking around her as the first light of the sun touched the rafters overhead. She was the only one awake. The two Alphas lay nearby, deeply asleep, their pale limbs tangled sweetly together under a coverlet of silk that rippled in the little breeze.

Carol was gone; Molly supposed she had slipped away once her Empress had finally fallen asleep. Molly rather wished she were still here; she wanted to thank Carol for helping her through not one, but two more couplings with Khan. The big Alpha had been markedly more subdued after Sherlock’s attentions, but he was as inexorable as ever, his body so heavy, and Carol had been the one to direct Molly to rest her torso on one of the upholstered benches so that Khan could kneel behind her to give her his knot. And Molly had loved that position, relaxing and taking the Alpha deeply as he’d draped himself over her back. 

And in the darkest hours of the night, Khan had pulled her toward him once more, reclining back against a pile of cushions and murmuring to her to sit over him. She’d lain exhausted on his chest, enfolded in his arms as he pushed up between her legs; and in the end she drowsed through their final climaxes, lost in his warmth and the heady scent of his skin.

She did wake up again, however, when Sherlock stirred from his stillness.

As soon as Sherlock had untangled himself from Khan after that first frenzied coupling, he’d sat back against a column, motionless and patient, and remained there for the several hours that Khan was mating with Molly. He’d watched them constantly, never looking away even when Carol had drawn close and whispered in his ear. He’d just nodded in response, gently pressing her hands away when she bent to offer him some relief, his eyes always on Molly and Khan’s moving bodies. 

But Molly had only been asleep on Khan’s chest for a short time when Sherlock’s weight had shifted the cushioned floor under them; Khan opened his eyes. Wordlessly, Sherlock had leaned in and cupped Khan’s cheek, looking meaningfully into the other Alpha’s eyes, those eyes that so eerily mirrored his own. And Khan had looked steadily back, then nodded once in silent assent.

Some part of Molly understood that she should move away from them, and she drew back, accepted a cup of fruit juice from Carol, and sat sipping it as Sherlock took his own satisfaction in the only way that he was allowed. Mercifully, he’d not entered Khan again, but directed him to lie on his side so that Sherlock could lie behind him, using more of the rose-scented cream to slick his cock before sliding it between Khan’s thighs. When Molly had finally let her eyes drift closed for the final time that night, the Alphas were still moving slowly, Sherlock sighing as he pressed gentle kisses to the nape of Khan’s neck. 

Now, as Molly looked around in the thin light of dawn, she could hear birds singing faintly in the palace gardens far below. She glanced up; her assassin had left sometime in the night, replaced by an expert archer from Molly’s personal guard. Well, the blonde woman surely deserved her own rest after a night of such tense vigilance. To Molly’s knowledge, no Omega Empress before her had entertained two Alphas at once, and Molly had put every caution in place to ensure there would be no fighting, and that she would get exactly what she wanted.

Had she gotten what she wanted? Molly turned to contemplate the two beautiful men who lay entwined on the softness of the floor, their bodies so languid and still in the vulnerability of sleep. A study in power, she thought to herself; Khan’s head was pillowed on the firm muscle of his arm, that black hair stark against his milky skin. He was the bigger of the two, but Sherlock had been given power over him for these few days; Sherlock lay behind Khan, his long hand draped over Khan’s lean belly, his leg thrown partway over Khan’s own beneath the silk cover. Power and beauty, danger and delight, Molly thought. Brought together by her own word. 

She told herself she was pleased to see the two Alphas come to such a detente, that she was gratified that instead of fighting, they were sharing one coverlet after sex with each other, just as she’d ordered. But her heart throbbed in a kind of pain to see them so close together, while she herself had lain apart.

Molly did not know them, of course. Not truly. She’d shared precious little conversation with either of the Alphas, and beyond the bare facts of their lives, they were closed volumes to her. Their bodies were so very alike; were their minds the same? Would they understand each other without effort, share sympathies on a level that Molly could never hope to reach, even if she were not the Empress, the Moon Throne, loved by multitudes but the friend of few?

And then Sherlock’s blue eyes opened. Molly gave the smallest of starts, feeling almost guilty to be caught staring and thinking such thoughts, but he merely gazed back, his expression serious as he studied her. Without thinking, Molly put a hand on her hair.

Slowly, Sherlock drew away from Khan, who shifted his head once over his arm and then settled back into slumber. Silently, Sherlock got to his feet and walked past Molly to the parapet. He looked back at her then, and Molly rose to join him. 

The breeze was faintly chilly, here at the edge. Sherlock slipped a familiar arm around her shoulders and cuddled her close as they both looked out over the great capitol city. His body was thinner than she’d realized, almost wiry, she thought as she settled against him, their bodies touching for the first time. 

“Empress Margaretta,” he said lowly, setting his cheek against her braids, “please listen to me, and quickly. You must not trust Khan.”

Astonished, Molly tried to shift out of his arms, but Sherlock held her firmly. “Wait. Just one moment, I beg you. I need to speak while we’re still alone.”

“Sherlock...this...You must understand that I have little reason to believe you, his rival,” Molly said, thinking quickly. 

Sherlock had been right about the foreign minister’s spy. Molly had quietly mentioned the matter to her network of informants, who had immediately uncovered a plot to place an agent from the Archipelago Confederacy in her government. It had almost happened right under her nose, but for Sherlock’s word in her ear. And the courtesan that Sherlock had been assigned had indeed proven to be studying the alchemy of plants on her own time, and Molly had instructed her steward to offer the girl advanced placement in the Academy, should she choose. Of the charcoal supplier, Molly had no idea. But perhaps Sherlock had some purpose beyond elimination of his double; perhaps he even sincerely meant to help her. 

“Of course you ought not to take me at my word, especially on so serious a matter, Empress,” Sherlock said. “I have proof. It’s all among those loose scrolls you noted in my suite.”

“And what will my people find, should they look at those scrolls?” Molly asked, her breath quickening. 

“Ship requisition records from Khan’s command. Accounts from his sailors. Cargo manifests. Khan’s own correspondence and that of others. Empress, Khan is not what he seems. He has siblings, a great many siblings, whom his alchemist parents also created and who profess absolute loyalty to him. He’s been gathering them around himself for years as he rises in the ranks of the navy. And he has been in frequent, unwarranted contact with the warlords of the Northern Fells.”

Molly drew a breath. The Northern Fells, those barbarian islands of ice and dark magic, where the authority of the Moon Throne had never reached, where Omegas and even Betas were, indeed, held in thrall by the brutal Alphas...the name of those lands was never spoken in her realms without a whisper of fear. The threat of a barbarian invasion into the prosperous lands of the Empire had troubled many generations of Omega Empresses, and if what Sherlock said was true…

“Sherlock, are you saying that Khan has allied himself with the Northern Fells?” She did push him away now to look searchingly up at his face. Sherlock glanced behind them, confirming that the other Alpha still slept. 

“Empress, I believe that Khan intends to seize the Moon Throne. Not soon. More likely in several years, when his child has been confirmed as heir and he has had more time to lay his plans.” 

“No one would accept him as ruler,” Molly cried softly. She gestured to the beautiful city that spread out before them, its prosperity and peace clear to see even from this height. “The Moon Throne has governed for a thousand years. All know the tales of how it was before, when Alphas ruled by force. My citizens…”

“Even the wisest may forget wisdom when a sword is pressed to their throats. When the barbarians sweep down from the Fells in their hordes and threaten your realms, how difficult might it be to convince the people to accept a war leader? Especially if that leader promised to rule only temporarily, just until the heir came of age?”

“If...if something were to happen to me, you mean,” Molly said softly. 

“Indeed, Empress. Winning the competition was a windfall for him,” Sherlock continued, stroking her shoulder slowly, just as if they were talking comfortably of the beauty of the dawn sky. “He would have tried for the Moon Throne anyway, but it will be far easier with a child of his body as the recognized heir. With war at hand, no Empress, and the heir a mere child, what better regent to safeguard the Moon Throne than the heir’s own father?” 

Sherlock’s lip twitched up in a snarl. “And when the Northern Fells came to conquer, they would recognize Khan as ruler in the end. After all, the barbarians put great store by who sires a woman’s child.” 

Molly stepped away from the parapet, cold all over, shaken to her core. She had no idea if she could trust Sherlock, but she could not ignore this. 

“I’ll speak to my network, have them investigate these accusations,” she said, looking back at Khan’s still, beautiful face, so soft in repose. “They’ll soon discover whether your discoveries hold any merit.” She shivered, chafing her arms with her hands. 

Sherlock moved beside her, shielding her body as best he could from the rising wind. “Empress, I’ll leave it to you,” he said soberly. “What will you do now? With him?”

“You say he poses no immediate threat to my person,” Molly said. “I suppose he will stay here with me until my heat is over. You understand that by the rules of the pact, Khan has won the right to my heat. I cannot send him away on suspicion alone, not unless he should break the rules himself.”

“I understand,” Sherlock said. He smiled, a little sadly. “Besides, you’re likely already carrying his child.” 

Molly’s hands dropped to her belly, but she folded her arms again at once. It was no use second-guessing what was already done, and Molly had another question for him. “Sherlock. Why did you investigate this?” She peered sidelong at the Alpha. 

“I...well, Empress, I was crushed by boredom while I was confined to the suite. So to occupy my mind, I did what I do: I notice mysteries and investigate them. As to how I happened to inquire into Khan’s past…” He screwed down the corners of his mouth. “I must admit I was...jealous. Envious. And I did set out to find something questionable. But what I found proved more dangerous than I’d ever dreamed.” 

Molly trembled. Impulsively, she moved close to Sherlock and took him into her arms. “Sherlock...I’m glad you’re here. He...he frightens me.” She buried her face in his chest. 

Just as Sherlock’s arms enfolded Molly, a sharp voice cut the silence of the morning. 

“Get away from her!” Khan shouted, stalking towards them. “Don’t touch her! I’ll kill you!” 

And even as Sherlock instinctively pushed Molly behind him and braced himself to grapple with the Alpha that was swiftly closing on them both, Molly raised a hand above her head and made a swift gesture. 

A hiss and a whistle, and Khan staggered and fell onto the stones, a thin dart in his neck. Even as Sherlock and Molly watched, Khan gave them both a last, furious glare before his eyes glazed and closed. 

“Well done,” Molly lifted her voice to the archer in the rafters, who saluted her from afar. She pulled on one of the silk robes that had been laid out, and handed one to Sherlock as an afterthought. 

“Guards,” she called softly down the stairs, taking up a quill and parchment. “Take Khan to a holding cell and have a Healer see to him. Then send this message to my chief minister. We likely have a coup on our hands. No, nothing dangerous just yet,” she said to the poor woman who glanced fearfully up at Molly. “Rather something to be nipped in the bud. Thanks to Sherlock,” she said, looking up at the Alpha with a smile. 

In a few moments, all was done. Khan’s limp form was carried down the stairs, a note was dispatched instructing the chief minister to confirm the truth of the evidence in Sherlock’s suite, and Molly dismissed the guards. Finally, she and Sherlock were alone on the top of the tower.

Molly turned to Sherlock and pulled him down into a kiss, and he responded with a moan of pure hunger. Oh, he smelled wonderful, and his cock was moving against her belly…

“I would be lying if I told you that I’m not pleased he’s gone,” Sherlock whispered, his hands stroking the heavy braids of her hair. “For my own sake, Empress, as well as the Moon Throne.”

“You certainly enjoyed him,” Molly replied with a raised eyebrow. The rising sun was flooding the tower with light and warmth, lighting Sherlock’s curls into a halo and kindling a blue-green glow in those eyes…

“I did. Oh, how I enjoyed him. But...forgive me...I suspect I’ll enjoy you far more. Let me bathe you, Empress,” he begged suddenly. “Let me wash him from you, from both of us, and then I’ll…”

“You’ll create a little confusion about just who may have fathered the heir,” Molly said archly, mischief lighting her features. “After all, between the two of you, who could tell?” 

“And if by chance the child is not an Omega,” Sherlock smirked, dipping up cool water from the waiting basin and pouring it slowly over her body, “I’ll just have to give you another one, Empress Margaretta.”

“Insolent,” Molly laughed. “But do call me Molly.”

And later, in the rising heat of the day, when Molly found herself on her belly under the beautiful Alpha with his knot rising swiftly between them, she smiled to herself against the silken cushion. Perhaps she’d choose a consort after all, she thought, before Sherlock’s roar of ecstasy drowned out her keening wails, along with every thought except that of the incomparable rightness of their connection.

**Author's Note:**

> Come play on Tumblr! :)


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